How to get your baby to sleep?

Baby has just arrived in the family, and you're wondering how the nights are going to go? Baby's sleep is one of the questions every parent asks. How do you get baby to sleep? When will they sleep through the night? Are they sleeping enough? Every newborn is unique, and the most important thing is to take their needs and wishes into account. Here are a few tips to help baby enjoy lovely, peaceful nights.

How long should baby sleep?

A newborn needs a lot of sleep. In the first months, baby will feel the need to sleep an enormous amount, and you should listen to that. A baby never sleeps too much. On average, a newborn wakes up 2 times a night and needs around 4 months to sleep through the night. So how long should they sleep? Before 3 months, baby will sleep around 4/5 hours a night, plus their daily naps. It's a tiring period for new parents, but don't panic: after this period, baby moves on to 10 hours of sleep at night.

Which position is best for my baby's sleep?

Sleeping on their back is the best position for baby at night. Don't put baby to sleep on their tummy, as this increases the risk of sudden infant death. From 6 months, baby will be able to roll over on their own, so the risk is greatly reduced. You no longer have to make them sleep on their back.

A calm, reassuring environment to help baby sleep.

To get baby to sleep, they need to be in a calm, peaceful environment. Choose soft or dimmed lighting, with little night lights for example. For their room, you can choose neutral or warm colours that are gentle on baby's eyes, such as white, beige, pale pink or more fashionable colours like green or ochre. You can also set the temperature of the room they are in to 20°.

A regular routine

A newborn can't tell the difference between day and night. To help them sleep through the night, you'll need to set up a little routine before bedtime. To find out more about the different routines to adopt, you can read our article “ when do babies sleep through the night?« .

Sleeping on their own

For your comfort and baby's comfort, it is recommended to keep baby in your bedroom or close to you for their first months. Baby will wake up a lot and it will be easier for you to feed them. The WHO encourages parents to have baby sleep in their room until the age of 6 months. After that, it's up to you to choose the right moment, according to your wishes, your needs and your feelings, while taking baby's into account. The key thing is for it to happen gently so that baby feels good; you can start with naps, for example.

Dylan
Proud dad of three little ones and founder of Premiers Moments. Together with the whole team, I share our parenting tips here to support you, from pregnancy through your child's first years.